THE Joseph Rowntree Foundation study shows that working families in poverty outnumber the 5.1million jobless households in the UK.

MORE than six million families are stuck in poverty despite having jobs, a report claims.

The study for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation paints a bleak picture of Britain with hard-working people having to scrape by on low wages.

For the first time since records began, working families in poverty outnumber the 5.1million jobless households in the UK.

The JRF say a family are in poverty if their household income after tax is less than 60 per cent of the average income for the year.

That means the “poverty threshold” after housing costs – rent or mortgage, council tax, building insurance and water bills – is £125 a week for a single person with no children, £215 a week for a couple with no children and £301 for a couple with two kids under 14.

The damning figures came as experts warned households face more misery over an additional five years of austerity because of George Osborne’s disastrous handling of the economy.

Some 6.5million people are now classed as “underemployed” – lacking the paid work they want.

The number of people working part-time but wanting full-time work is 1.4million – up by 500,000 since 2009. Many are hanging on to their jobs by agreeing to fewer hours.

And 4.4million jobs pay less than £7 an hour – under the living wage of £7.45 an hour considered the minimum needed to provide a basic standard of living.

Union leader Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said: “Poverty is a national scandal made worse by the Con-Dems’ cruel cuts. Millions of working families are struggling to make to ends meet, to put a roof above their head and get a job that pays a decent wage.

“Yet next year, Mr Osborne and Mr Cameron will dish out £40,000 in tax cuts to their millionaire chums.”

A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies says Osborne may impose another £8billion of welfare cuts and hike taxes by an extra £11billion when he gives his Autumn Statement next week.

Unions reach out to hard-up Brits - Frances O'Grady of the TUC

Unemployment has always sent people into poverty, but the reality of low-pay Britain is that work is no guarantee of escape.

The coalition have made this worse by cutting tax credits and planning an assault that will put even more on the breadline.

But enough is enough – we are reaching out to the low-paid army and asking them to join our ranks.

Why should people slog their guts out for a pittance so those at the top can line their pockets?